Maybe I’m missing some privacy thing, but an individual with a small video camera initiated the largest meat recall in U.S. history.

So why isn’t the U.S. Department of Agriculture making use of the same technology?

Public watering holes are jumping on the bandwagon.

The New York Times reports that bar Webcams are a growing phenomenon in cities like Boston, Denver, Chicago, San Diego, Minneapolis, and even tourist spots like Key West.

The idea is: with a Webcam installed in a bar or restaurant, potential customers can call up the live video stream online or by mobile phone so they can survey the crowd before venturing out.

People who want a quiet night can scout for a bar with a mellow scene, and those who want a lively night can look for the crowds. (Webcam bar promoters say it’s typically a 50-50 split between the two camps.)

For the promoters, the online traffic equals money. Relatively new services like Barmigo and Barseenlive sell flat-rate subscriptions to the bars for licensing the Webcams and promoting their sites, and other upstarts like Baroptic.com are seeking to sell advertisements to liquor companies like Coors and Bacardi to run against those video streams.